Biomedical subjects

Bodil Ellefsen

Publications and source records attributed to Bodil Ellefsen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Nurses' satisfaction with their work environment and the outcomes of clinical nursing supervision on nurses' experiences of well-being -- a Norwegian study.

BACKGROUND: Various studies have demonstrated that nursing is stressful and that the incidence of occupational stress-related burnout in the profession is high. AIM: This descriptive-correlational study examined nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment, their moral sensitivity and differences in outcomes of clinical nursing supervision in relation to nurses' well-being by systematically comparing supervised and unsupervised nurses. METHODS: Nurses were selected from two hospitals (n = 71). Data collection was by means of questionnaires and analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment was reflected in six factors: 'job stress and anxiety', 'relationship with colleagues', 'collaboration and good communication', 'job motivation', 'work demands' and 'professional development'. The nurses' perceptions of moral sensitivity comprised seven factors: 'grounds for actions', 'ethical conflicts', 'values in care', 'independence patient-oriented care', 'the desire to provide high-quality care' and 'the desire to provide high-quality care creates ethical dilemmas'. Nurses well-being were reflected in four factors 'physical symptom and anxiety', 'feelings of not being in control', 'engagement and motivation' and 'eye strain sleep disturbance'. The moral sensitivity 'ethical conflicts' were found to have mild negative correlations with psychosocial work environment 'job stress and anxiety professional development' and with 'total score' psychosocial work, moral sensitivity factor 'independence were correlated with psychosocial work factor 'relationships with colleagues' and 'total score', moral sensitivity were mildly correlated with 'collaboration and good communication and had a negative correlation to psychosocial work factor 'work demands'. In addition, significant correlations were found between the nurses' well-being profile and demographic variables, between 'engagement and motivation' and 'absence due to illness' and between 'time allocation for tasks', 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'age'. Mild significant differences were found between nurses attending and not attending group supervision and between 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'feelings of not being in control'. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ethical conflicts in nursing are a source of job-related stress and anxiety. The outcome of supporting nurses by clinical nursing supervision may have a positive influence on their perceptions of well-being. clinical nursing supervision have a positive effect on nurses physical symptoms and their feeling of anxiety as well as having a sense of being in control of the situation. We also conclude that psychosocial work have an influence on nurses experience of having or not having control and their engagement and motivation.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Conducting client supervision in community health care.

The aim of the present study was to examine registered public health nurses' views and reported actions related to client supervision in community health care. Transcript-based, qualitative and interpretative content analysis was used to analyse the findings from six focus group interviews. The main findings represented the following themes: the components of the assessment basis related to choosing supervision as an intervention strategy, the strategies related to conducting supervision and the meaning of supervision as an intentional act. In conclusion, the registered public health nurses' reported model for conducting supervision seems to correspond with principles in the new strategies for health promotion initiated by the World Health Organization. Further research is needed to explore what the nurses really do when conducting supervision in order to provide extended knowledge about their model.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Nurses' clinical engagement: a study from an acute-care setting in Norway.

This study investigates the nature of nurses' clinical engagements and courses of action in acute-care settings in Norway. A qualitative descriptive design with a convenience sample of 6 registered nurses was used. Data were collected via participant observation, in-depth interviews during 3 full shifts for each nurse, and nursing documents about the patients. Data analyses used the method suggested by Atkinson (1992) that coalesces analyses of parts with wholes. Findings revealed that nurses' clinical engagements are multidimensional and consist of 3 sorts of activities: (a) nurses' movements and encounters with patients, (b) the process of knowing patients, and (c) clinical actions addressing patients' specific needs/requests. These activities constituted most nursing work when the nurses were providing care for hospitalized patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Frames and perspectives in clinical nursing practice: a study of Norwegian nurses in acute care settings.

The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of nurses' clinical practice in terms of what guide their clinical engagement and clinical constructions. Schön (1983) and Argyris, Putnana, and Smith (1985) have demonstrated that practitioners "see" situations differently depending on how they frame the situation. In nursing, there is a lack of knowledge regarding what kinds of frames nurses are using in their clinical work. The research question was: What frames and perspectives guide nurses' clinical constructions? The study was based on a descriptive design using a clinical field approach in an acute care setting in Norway. A theoretical sample consisted of 6 registered nurses, 3 from medical wards and 3 from surgical wards. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with the nurses, as well as nursing documents about the patients. The results showed that the nurses' frame of reference emerged as normality, health, need, trajectory, and action. These are structured on 3 themes: (a) the patient status dimension with a set of 3 frames that are used to consider patients' current status and condition in terms of normality, health, and needs; (b) the dimension with a frame for judging patients' situational experiences in relation to hospitalization, (illness trajectory); and (c) the nurses' action referring to the frame with which nurses consider their actions. These 5 frames form a complex template with which nurses come to arrive at meanings of clinical situations and "design" or engage in their practice. The nurses are moving back and forth between these different perspectives, circulating around the individual patient or patients as a group. The nurses' practice in this setting tells about the complexity and diversity permeating the assessment, decisions, and performance of nursing care.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Nurses' construction of clinical situations: a study conducted in an acute-care setting in Norway.

The purpose of this study was to describe the nature of clinical constructions that nurses make in their practice. The study was based on a qualitative descriptive design in an acute-care setting in Norway with a convenience sample of 6 registered nurses providing direct patient care. These nurses were considered typical staff nurses working in acute-care settings. Data were collected through observation of and in-depth interviews with participants during 3 full shifts for each nurse and also from nursing documents regarding the patients. Qualitative data analyses were carried out using a method that coalesces analyses of the parts with analysis of the whole. The findings revealed that nurses encounter patients and provide direct care by formulating pictures of encountered clinical situations with a specific way of "seeing," which the authors conceptualize as a comprehensive nursing gaze. This nursing gaze was the basis upon which the nurses arrived at clinical constructions. There is a need for further research to investigate how nurses differentiate the significance of information in arriving at clinical constructions, and to investigate aspects of the nursing gaze in various clinical settings.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Australian nurse supervisors' styles and their perceptions of ethical dilemmas within health care.

AIM: To examine clinical nurse supervisors' styles, in terms of models, organization, focus on supervision and theories used in supervision, as well as their perceptions of ethical dilemmas within health care. BACKGROUND: The importance of clinical supervision in clinical practice has been reported. However, literature dealing with its implementation is rare. METHODS: This study is a descriptive-correlational study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire from two groups of nurse supervisors randomly selected from a university (n = 55) and a hospital (n = 31). Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The models most frequently used were 'case-oriented' and 'decision-making oriented'. The nurse supervision was reported as being organized on a one-to-one basis. The focus of supervision was on 'patient problems' and 'cooperation in team'. The theory most commonly used was the theory of reflection. The supervisors' perceptions of moral dilemmas were related to 'decision making' and actions impacting on quality of care resulting from their supervisor styles. CONCLUSION: By correlating the supervisors' styles and their perceptions of ethical dilemmas, we conclude that it is important to contribute to further research on supervisors' styles in order to ensure successful supervision.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The value of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in nursing research by means of method triangulation.

AIM: The article contributes to the theoretical discussion of the epistemological grounds of triangulation in nursing research. BACKGROUND: In nursing research, the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is being used increasingly. The attempt to relate different kinds of data through triangulation of different methods is a challenging task as data derived through different methodologies are viewed as incommensurable. CONTENT: Epistemological questions become a vital issue in triangulation of different methods, as qualitative and quantitative methods are built on philosophical differences in the structure and confirmation of knowledge. The epistemology of nursing is manifold, complex and multifarious in character. Contemporary nursing research should be developed on the bases of an epistemology that reflects this multiplicity. The benefits and problems of triangulation are discussed on basis of an epistemological position that acknowledges the need for various types of knowledge and that does not attempt to rank them in a hierarchical order or place different values on them. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the complexity and diversity of reality provides the ontological basis for an alternative epistemological position. The various methods used should be recognized as springing from different epistemological traditions which, when combined, add new perspectives to the phenomenon under investigation. The different types of knowledge should not be seen as ranked, but as equally valid and necessary to obtain a richer and more comprehensive picture of the issue under investigation.

Bias↗

PubMed2002

Dependency as disadvantage - patients' experiences.

Dependency as disadvantage - patients' experiences This is an empirical qualitative study of the dependent community patient. The investigation raises the question of what it is like to be a highly dependent patient and how they relate to the situation. A non-probability, volunteer sample was selected from home nursing patients in a large town in Norway. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 patients in their home using a semistructured interview guide. A constant comparative approach was used for analysing data. The results show that dependency has disadvantages like constraints and burdens in daily life. The patient adjusts both in a reactive and proactive way. The constraints are apparent through reduced autonomy in daily life and limited possibilities for negotiation. The burden is demonstrated through uncertainty within the encounter situation, low esteem, and loss of privacy. Adjustment is made through planning, guidance of the carer, acceptance of the situation, positive self-image and by protection of family and carer, and placing blame on the bureaucracy. The patient reacts in a more passive, reactive way regarding circumstances connected to the health care system and in a more proactive way by trying to influence the situation in the interaction in the private sphere of the patient's home.

Activities of Daily Living↗